Independence Day
by r.a.b. shoulda lived
Summary: Sooo. This is the story of Tom's 8th Independence Day. AU he lives in America and I changed his parent's death. After, everything is the same. Don't own the song or Harry Potter. Please R & R


**Alrighty then! Ok so I have nothing much to say other than it is pretty AU. Tom loses his parents in an a different way. His dad's still an ass, though, if that helps. Also, it's set in America. OK so I don't even know how this is Tom Riddle in Harry Potter. Lol. BTW I don't own Martina McBride's song or Harry Potter.**

_Well she seemed all right by dawns early light  
>Though she looked a little worried and weak<br>She tried to pretend he wasn't drinkin' again  
>But daddy left the proof on her cheek<em>

In Tom's eight years of living, he often found himself to in the way.

When young Tom Riddle awoke that Independence Day, he awoke to shouting. Tom Sr. was drinking again. He heard the shouting stop with the resonating sound of skin on skin contact and the slam of a door. He had gone to the den.

Tom left his room, fully aware of what was happening on the floor below, to check on his mother. As he finished descending the stairs, she seemed to be alright, but Tom could tell how worried and weak she truly was. Tom led his mother to the nearest chair and sat her down, asking what happened. As if knowing his assumption, his mother brokenly whispered, "He's not drinking again." She tried to sound firm, but her voice which is still hoarse from the screaming match prior, prevented this. He knew she was trying to comfort him so he just nodded and removed the proof of the truth. He tossed the two bottles in the trash and frowned at the now reddening and bruising hand print on his worn mother's cheek.

_And I was only eight years old that summer  
>And I always seemed to be in the way<br>So I took myself down to the fair in town  
>On Independence Day<em>

Tom didn't question his mother as his father stomped up from their den. Tom walked into the sitting room and quietly sat on the couch in their almost perfect living room. It would perfect if not for the second fight going on in the next room. He heard his "father" ask his poor mother what she said about him to "it". "It" would be their young son. She reiterated the lie she told Tom to her husband. Tom Riddle Sr. does not like to be lied to. Anyone who lies to him usually gets punished in some way. In response to his wife's "lie" she got backhanded across the face.

When his "father" first started abusing his mother, his mom would tell Tom to leave the house. She didn't want her poor young child to be exposed such a hideous occurring. Now as he heard another smack and his mother's whimper, he took for the back door. There was supposed to be a fair in town square today for Independence Day.

_Well word gets around in a small, small town  
>They said he was a dangerous man<br>But mama was proud and she stood her ground  
>She knew she was on the losin' end<br>Some folks whispered and some folks talked  
>But everybody looked the other way<br>And when time ran out there was no one about  
>On Independence Day<em>

As he walked around the square, looking at the different venders and food salesmen, he was recognized by most. Some whispered about his father's activity, and others, those with no shame, talked loud enough to be heard by Tom as he passed by. They called his father dangerous, to himself and others. They called his mother stubborn and too damn proud. And lastly, they said Tommy Jr. was stuck on the losing end.

He heard a feminine voice come from the nearby entertainment stage so he made his way over to see the woman. She was pretty, he decided, like his mother before the burden his father created. And a red-head to boot. She sang to the music played by the band. She stood in front, dressed in a light blue dress that swayed with the wind, her voice ringing out over the slowly gathering crowd.

"_Let freedom ring, let the white dove sing  
>Let the whole world know that today is a day of reckoning<br>Let the weak be strong, let the right be wrong  
>Roll the stone away, let the guilty pay it's Independence Day"<em>

As the woman sustained the final notes of her song Tom could hear the wail of a fire-truck and saw the lights flash in the direction of his house. A breeze rustled the woman's skirt once again, but this time, brought smoke with it. At the foul smell of burnt wood Tom started sprinting, pushing his way through the thick crowd that had accumulated throughout the performance. Being young has its benefits, Tom decided, as he ducked under table to get to the road which would take him to his destination.

_Well she lit up the sky that fourth of July  
>By the time that the firemen come<br>They just put out the flames, and took down some names  
>And sent me to the county home<em>

Tom arrived at the property just as the firemen started hosing down the burning building. The police arrived just in time to catch Tom as he almost ran into the house to get his mother. Let his father be damned, he thought, his mother, on the other hand, didn't deserve the hand she was dealt in life. Tears started streaking the face of the young child as he sat on the edge of the fire-truck and watched the police officers take down names and discover the start of the fire; apparently the alcohol the father was holding went up when his mother threw the match she was using to light a candle at him. "Come on, son," a police officer put his hand on Tom's shoulder. Tom went rigid and the man just chuckled and walked in front to face him. He knelt down and smiled at the young boy before him, "You're not in trouble, bud. We're just taking you to the county home until some family comes to get you."

Tom put on a fake smile as he buckled up, knowing very well he had no family that would be willing to get him out of the county jail. They never spoke to his mother's side for they lived in England and his father had no siblings. There was an eerie silence in the car that the officer tried to break by asking Tom how he felt about his parents' death. Tom really didn't know what to think so he just kept silent. The only noise for the rest of the ride was the sad sighs coming from the driver.

Eventually the car stopped and the man in the front seat opened the door and Tom just looked him in the eye. Tom too sighed and just said, "Sir, _I ain't saying it's right or it's wrong, but maybe it's the only way._ He did abuse my mother for quite some time.

They walked up to the house and just before he opened the door, the man uttered, "_Talk about your revolution._" The young boy shrugged and, with a sad smile, replied, "_It's Independence Day._"

Three years later, Tom was up in his room when Dumbledore came and gave him his acceptance letter for Hogwarts. The man had just left and Tom decided to turn on the little beaten up radio he owned and read a book. When he finally found a station Tom recognized the song as the one from woman at the fair that fateful Fourth of July. Tom hummed along, remembering the song and the beautiful woman who sang it.

"_Let freedom ring, let the white dove sing  
>Let the whole world know that today is a day of reckoning<br>Let the weak be strong, let the right be wrong  
>Roll the stone away, let the guilty pay it's Independence Day"<em>

Tom was then summoned for dinner but as he walked out the door he forgot to turn the radio off. As he sat down at the table, the children started making jokes at his expense and Tom just ignored them and whispered, "_Roll the stone away, let the guilty pay, it's Independence Day."_


End file.
